Burned As Witches – Live In Manchester

Night & Day Cafe was the perfect venue for an album launch gig, right in the heart of Manchester. The cosy bar, known for its iconic gigs, was just the right amount of space needed for a dark, rock introduction to Burned As Witches. The night started with support from local band Arms & Hearts. Their revenge punk sound was reminiscent of the early work of The Goo Goo Dolls. The two-piece cranked out a sound that could give any five-piece band a run for their money. The band had been called up to support with only a day’s notice; you wouldn’t have known they hadn’t played together in three months if they hadn’t mentioned it. Only one small forgetful moment of how to start a song, that could happen to the most accomplished musician. The lead singer and guitarist, Steven Millar, shared with the audience how one of the songs he wrote was about his dad passing and leaving him inheriting a guitar and trauma. This made for a loud and honest piece of music.

I was excited to hear Burned As Witches play their debut album in full, as I loved every minute of reviewing the album. Heavy, Black Sabbath-like riffs, with vocals and melodies similar to those of Led Zeppelin. Burned As Witches is a solo project by Ash drummer Rick McMurray, but tonight he is joined by his brother Mike McMurray on drums and long-term friend George Pringle on bass. They play like a well-oiled machine. It doesn’t feel like a new project. Maybe because the band is built on family and friendship. The album was made at a time of grieving and loss of their mutual close friend and manager, Steve Strange. Steve had a love for Black Sabbath and a passion for all things rock-metal. The friends started jamming in celebration of Steve’s life, and the sound that was to become Burned As Witches was born.

Live, the album seemed all the more heavy and dark. Nothing beats live music. The guitar solos were a joy to watch, and the heaviness of those riffs roared through the speakers, making for a loud, grungy metal performance. The crowd seemed into it straight away. Not only did we get to hear all eight songs off the album, but we were treated to an extra song that almost made it onto the album, ‘How Could You Not Know’. Hopefully, we will get that on the next album. I hope we get to hear more from Burned As Witches, as this album is rock perfection. It’s an amazing stand-alone record, but I can see them becoming very popular and playing stadium shows and Download Festival next year.

The most impressive part of the performance was when Rick got out a bow and played the guitar like a violin. There was nothing elegant about this as it looked and sounded metal AF! The crowd seemed to enjoy the show throughout. This was the first time for everyone hearing the album. The lead single ‘Hold Your Nerve’ had given everyone a taster of their sound as it was pre-released back in March. It was nice to get to hear about the album and why it was made. Getting to hear the reasons behind songs brings the audience closer to the music. The merch stand was busy after the show with people buying the album on CD and t-shirts. So all in all it was a successful launch show.

Burned As Witches debut album is available through digital platforms and on vinyl here.

Live photography courtesy of Sarah Fisher from Sarah In The Pit